Celebrating the Lotus

This quote has been sitting at the top of my blog for a while now....I do believe.

"I do believe in an everyday sort of magic...the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone." Charles de Lint

It's probably clear by now to anyone who follows this blog that when I find something that brings me joy and feeds my soul I tend to celebrate it....really celebrate it.  The ginkgo tree, the rain lily...and now the lotus  have comforted me at the right time and place....and I am grateful.  

As part of the closure and cleaning out process I've made several trips to Connie's nursing facility since her passing. 

Every time I go I visit the lotus flower. The bloom I've been following has now dropped its petals and is on it's way to become one of those amazing seed pods. A new bud has bloomed...and the cycle continues. I want to thank Connie's friend, and now my friend Peggy, for drawing my attention to the this beautiful plant a week or so ago when I really needed it.

Remembering...

...Connie.

Yesterday Paul and I had the privilege of joining my dear friend Connie's family at Mount Auburn Cemetery for the burial of her ashes. It was good to laugh, cry, and share our memories of this dear woman.


Mount Auburn Cemetery is 174 acres and spectacularly beautiful all seasons of the year. Connie loved it there.

The minute I got out of the car I was greeted by lovely fall urns at the main entrance complete with lotus pods and I knew this was the right spot. The lotus plant at her nursing facility was a source of comfort for me during her last week ...I blogged about it frequently.  You can read one of those posts here.



My son sam recommended we climb the tower in the middle of the
cemetery and enjoy the great view of Boston. That's just what we did.

I think this should be a seasonal outing....it was spectacular!
If you are interested here is a link to a Steller Story I created with some
additional photos: https://steller.co/s/7cs4h5NvCNH

September Project

My September Folt Bolt color scheme project is finished. There are parts that I really like....and others I might have done differently. I am most fond of the striped plant pot and the lotus pod.

I wrapped the background fabric around the paint panel this time. The lotus pod was too thick to wrap...but I added some of the round dots randomly on the sides.  I think the buttons and dots give a nod to seeds.

Sitting...Stitching...

...and seed pods.

I spent a good chunk of the day sitting with Connie....it certainly was the most important thing I did today.

But the quiet day also gave me a chance to do some of the hand stitching on my August project. You can see that I chose a red and white striped border to brighten it up a little. This one will be mounted on a stained paint panel.

During a break I walked around the property. In the courtyard garden fountain I found a couple of lotus buds and a seed pod. I'll have to keep an eye on the buds...it will be fun to see them in bloom.

I'm quite fond of lotus seed pods. Some of you may remember I used them in a spring bouquet where I filled some of the holes with wool felted balls.

Yes...it was a sitting, stitching, and seed pod kind of day.

Half Full

There was an amazing strip of delicate ice lace by our front door.  I tried to photograph it in place....but couldn't get the right angle.  When I tried to pick it up....it broke in half.  

But I'm thinking of this as a glass half full moment rather than half empty....and marveling at how beautiful this tiny chunk of ice was with the morning sun as the backdrop.

Fusing 101 lesson #6: Motifs...finally!  

You can construct motifs on release paper from small pieces of pre-fused fabric  overlapping and fusing the pieces and parts.  Once you're done...you can peel off the motif as one unit and fuse it to something else.

Here I fused two strips together....

peeled it off the paper and cut it into a leaf. 

I keep referring back to my year of Folt Bolt projects....because every single project was mostly fused.

The September seed pod inspired piece had several  motifs....and it started with a pile of pre-fused fabrics.    

The plant pot is made from individual strips of hand dyed fabric assembled on release paper.  And the snake plant leaves and lotus pod motifs were preassembled with a combination of hand dyed and batik fabrics.  

 

There weren't a lot of process photos for that project...so I decided to construct a quick fused motif this afternoon...and make a tag.  It's been a while since I've made a tag....and I do love this little ringed gallery of quick little art pieces using whatever I have on hand at the moment.

With the latest tag beside me for color inspiration and flow....I created a fused fabric motif of a pinwheel design.  

I was determined to just pull from my vast supply of small scraps...and started with one triangle.  I didn't want to overthink it....I just added one triangle at a time using a variety of colors and fabrics.

I kept adding.....

....and adding.... 

...until I worked my way around the circle.

Once it was cool....I could peel it off the release paper and as one whole unit/motif. Rather than cutting it round...I left the uneven ends.

Although I auditioned a couple of centers....I ended up not loving my choice.  

In hindsight I should have paid more attention to how the the center came together so I wouldn't have needed one at all.

I was able to peel the purple off....but then I really had to cover up the mess I made. 

I'm not sure I love it...but I'm going with the glass half full again...and celebrating finally getting a lesson in on motifs!  Cheers!

All my tags can be seen here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/search/label/tag%20project

Splash of Spring

I got the idea for these felted lotus pods at a craft show in Portland. I started making them with multiple colors in each one...but they were too busy so I kept the palette a little tighter. I've also been working on a few felted pussy willow branches. I pulled off the fuzzy buds...and with super tacky glue replaced them with tiny little felted ones for a little splash of spring.

 

I'm going to put the bouquet on the table in the waiting area to break up the long wall. One thing's for sure....it's going to be colorful. 

I've been walking by "The Piece" for a few days....something was off...not right...missing.  I finally decided that the rainbow strip was too "flat" compared to the rest....it needed to be quilted...it needed texture. Oy!

So off it came....thank goodness it was just hand stitched.  You have a little peak at my "hidden" binding on the back....more on that later.   

I topstitched the strip with gray/blue thread and settled in with HGTV and sewed it back on.  I think it's much better. Tomorrow I need to attach it to the canvas...and that worries me a little. 

Notes...

....and a new bloom.

Here are a couple more notes from the path...good reminders.

Today I had lunch with Peggy who was a long time friend of Connie's and now a friend of mine. Before lunch we visited the lotus plant in the courtyard....and it made me smile.  The bloom I had been following is still in the green pod stage and now is has a twin...and the bud I saw when I was there last is now fully open and glowing in the sun. What a treat! Thanks Peggy!

And...just for the record something silly got me laughing today...one of those good long belly laughs to the point of tears.  I haven't done that in a long time and it felt pretty good.

The End of a Journey

My dear friend Constance Devereux passed away last night...her journey has ended. She was amazing and she will be missed.

The lotus bloom in the courtyard of her nursing facility has been a comfort and a delight....and a good distraction. This lovely pink bloom opened yesterday into a spectacular yellow work of art....Connie would have loved it. I'm truly amazed at the incredible structure inside this delicate flower.

I may be popping in and out here on the blog....it's a comfort place for me.

Bud, bloom, and seed pod all at the same time.....kind of a full circle photo.

September Seed Pods

It's the time of year for seeds and pods and beautiful fall colors.  For my September Folt Bolt color scheme project I was inspired by the lotus seed pod.                                                                                                               

Way back at the beginning of the month I made the seed pod motif and cut out this fusible "joy."  I liked them both....but I struggled with how to make it work in a small design...they were both big design elements.  I set the project aside for a while....but it was time to make it work.

I finally abandoned the colorful "joy" because I was too attached to the seed pod motif.  It may show up somewhere else.

So now I have the basic layout fused and the machine stitching done. I'm auditioning buttons and other details and embellishments...it's time to do a little hand stitching and finish it up.

                             

Two Journeys

I'm going to take a little break from the blog and pay attention to a couple of important things.  I'm fine....and I'll be back soon.

One of the lotus blooms at Connie's nursing facility
was blooming today....and it was spectacular!

My nephew Fred has been hiking the Appalachian trail since April. He started in Georgia and has made his way to Massachusetts having walked about 1500 miles. His journey has been wonderful and life changing but it's also included injuries and set backs. But he keeps walking.  I will have to admit that I don't fully understand this kind of extreme physical experience, but I totally respect his dedication and determination to finish. He's learning things about himself and the world that will help propel him into the next phase of his life.

My dear friend Connie has been on a different journey during the very same time frame. Back in March I shared in this blog post that she entered Hospice care. She's had ups and downs, good days and tough ones....but she wasn't ready to quit. She has loved life and hasn't wanted to miss a minute of it.

Fred will be taking a break from his journey at some point later this week and stay with me in Lexington. He will rest, eat some home cooked meals, and be "mothered" for a few days. He and my son are the same age and spent time together as they grew up and Sam will join us for some of this time. I will enjoy seeing them together...listening to their banter.

Connie is in what is called "transition" before the end of her journey and she seems to be resting comfortably. Her family is rallying around her and the rest of us who love her are on call for whatever is needed to fill in the gaps. I love Connie's family and have gotten to know them pretty well over the years. I enjoy seeing them all together...listening to their banter.

I will admit at first the timing of these two journeys coming together at the same time seemed unfortunate...how could I be attentive to both? But they are happening at the same time and there's enough time and energy for both.....but it's time to pause and pay attention.